Antarctica

"I am just going outside and may be some time."

The others nod, pretending not to know.

At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime.

He leaves them reading and begins to climb,

Goading his ghost into the howling snow;

He is just going outside and may be some time.

The tent recedes beneath its crust of rime

And frostbite is replaced by vertigo:

At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime.

Need we consider it some sort of crime,

This numb self-sacrifice of the weakest? No,

He is just going outside and may be some time

In fact, for ever. Solitary enzyme,

Though the night yield no glimmer there will glow,

At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime.

He takes leave of the earthly pantomime

Quietly, knowing it is time to go.

"I am just going outside and may be some time."

At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime.

– Derek Mahon

Although Antarctica isn't really a country, I chose this poem because it provides insight into a foreign world unlike any other. Rather than describing the well-known climate, terrain, and environment of Antarctica, Mahon depicts the struggles one might go through exploring the land. With little context and background, the mystery behind why a stranger would leave his group and possibly never return is left up to the reader's imagination. However, from the little information he does provide, we learn of the suffering the group faces. As all hope is lost, a lone member breaks his polar numbness and acts; facing Antarctica's unrelenting weather in search of a miracle. The phrase, "I am just going outside and may be some time", strikes a particularly ominous tone, raising concern whether the stranger will come back or not. A harsh, yet perfect reminder of how dangerous Antarctica can be.